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Wallström backs reforms

ENVIRONMENT Commissioner Margot Wallström this week publicly backed Franz Fischler’s plans for major reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

European Voice

5/22/02, 5:00 PM CET

Updated 4/12/14, 7:58 AM CET

Speaking at a sustainable fisheries conference in Brussels on Tuesday, the Swede said: “We have to reform the CFP if we are to protect our natural resources and the marine environment. Any reduction in fishing effort will automatically mean reduced pressure on the environment and less risk to biodiversity.

“Without major overhaul of this policy now, our fish stocks will collapse sooner or later and our fisheries will find themselves in the same situation as the cod fisheries in eastern Canada ten years ago.”

The commissioner said the current system of subsidies was “adding to the problem rather than addressing it”.

“What we need is a reform that redirects subsidies towards scrapping vessels and creates new economic prospects for the fishermen and regions affected,” she added.

Wallström avoided any criticism of Spanish Commissioner Loyola de Palacio, who recently urged a rethink on the reforms following strong disapproval from Madrid over their likely content.

Tony Long, EU spokesman for the World Wildlife Fund, told the conference that the reforms needed to break a “cycle of fishing madness”.

“The EU subsidises its fishing industry by 1.4 billion euro a year and its fishing fleet is 40% too big. As a result, most EU fish stocks are overfished. Too many boats chasing too few fish is destroying the ocean environment.”